Hope Cove

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Location

You will find the delightful fishing village of Hope Cove nestling in the heart of the South Hams.

From Exeter: Take the A38 (Devon Express Way) to Buckfastleigh and come off on the A384, the exit marked Kingsbridge. This will take you via Totnes. Follow signs for Kingsbridge (A381).From Kingsbridge stay on A381 towards Salcombe. After approximately 2.5 miles turn right for Hope Cove.

From Plymouth: Follow the A379 for Kingsbridge until sign for Salcombe (after Averton Gifford bypass). Take the B 3197 which will connect to the A381. After approximately 2 miles turn right for Hope Cove. Nearest train station: Totnes.

History

Hope Cove probably derives from the Old English hop meaning a circular valley...

...although it is tempting to link it with the Norse hop a bay or inlet, as there are names in the area which point to a Norse or Icelandic origin.

The picturesque fishing village of Hope Cove is two villages in one - Outer and Inner Hope.

The earliest evidence of human habitation at Hope Cove is a prehistoric seven inch-long quartz axe head of the Stone Age period. Found at the foot of the downs, the piece has been dated to c. 100,000 BC.

The next trace of man, considerably later but still early, is the Iron Age promontory fort on Bolt Tail which was sited to remove any worries for its occupants about attacks from the sides or rear.

Hope Cove has been the scene of many wrecks over the years. It was the only place in England where Spaniards came ashore during the reign of Queen Elisabeth I and St Peter the Great, one the Spanish fleet, was wrecked on the Shippen Rock in 1588. A number of buildings in the South Devon area incorporate old beams salvaged from the wreckage of the Armada.

In the 18th Century, the cove was used by fishermen and old records show that were a considerable number of boats launched from the beach, with larger vessels taking shelter in the bay. Some of these fishermen would have had a welcome additional income from smuggling which continued on a regular basis until the end of the 19th century.

Three masted luggers usually sailed over to France, returning with tobacco, silks, and, most of all, spirits - particularly brandy. The kegs would be lowered into the sea, 'sowing the crop' as it was called, at a suitable spot a few miles out, to be raised and brought ashore when the coast was clear and the excisemen or coastguards were not around. The barrels would then be loaded onto donkeys for distributing to the inns in the area, and to anyone else interested in some cheap alcohol.

Legend has it that in the days of King George III, the Cabin in Outer Hope was owned by a very attractive lady, who used to entertain the revenue men at the Bird in Hand across the road while her smuggler friends got away through a trap-door in The Cabin floor, which led down into a passage-cave under Shippens and from there out to sea. When eventually caught, she is said to have driven herself in her own coach and pair to Exeter Court, where she charmed her way out of trouble!

The section of the passage nearest The Cabin has long since fallen in, but to the seaward side of Shippens there is a large cave, accessible at low water, which extends in some 25 yards through a fault in the rocks. It is this passage which is thought once to have joined up with the Cabin.

After 1918 more people began to visit Hope Cove and to spend their holidays there. Inter-war picture postcards show an increasing number of private cars in the village and there was also greater advertising of apartments.

During the 2nd World War an influx of refugees were welcomed into the village and accommodated in empty hotels and private houses. Many RAF men also lived there, close to radar and radio stations in the area. Many still, even now, return with their families for their holidays.

Hope Cove has been thrust into the spotlight on a couple of occasions since. Emperor Haile Selassie spent part of his exile here and the village square was featured during the opening sequence of A Queen is Crowned, the film made in 1953 to celebrate the coronation.

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